Nets Point to a Noncall, but Have Themselves to Blame in a Loss

Forty-eight minutes of grinding against the Memphis Grizzlies’ impenetrable defense left the Nets grumbling, gimpy, grumpy and in some cases altogether silent. Some practically sprinted out of Barclays Center late Sunday, unwilling to discuss the ugly particulars of a 76-72 loss. Others could barely walk, or contain their fury.

The Nets were frustrated by their own ineptitude and incensed over the officiating, specifically the absence of a foul call after Deron Williams was hammered at the basket by Tony Allen and Zach Randolph with 26 seconds to go, and the game tied at 72-72. Williams came up limping — with a contusion to his left calf — and fuming.

Others chose to avoid the topic altogether, by declining to speak with the news media. Brook Lopez and Andray Blatche walked briskly to the parking garage, accompanied by General Manager Billy King, who told reporters that they would not be talking, lest they draw a fine for criticizing the officials.

Apparently, the Nets had decided that silence was the best strategy for dealing with a difficult defeat, their second in a row at home (both with the owner Mikhail D. Prokhorov in the building). Reggie Evans was the only other player to speak.

Although the noncall involving Williams surely hurt the Nets (33-24), their own mistakes and missteps were far more costly.

They missed 8 of 13 free throws, more than enough to make up the 4-point margin of defeat. They committed 18 turnovers. They shot poorly (.377) all night, including several air balls. Williams, despite chronically sore ankles, was the Nets’ best and at times only offensive weapon, scoring 24 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The other four starters combined for just 22 points and eight field goals.

The Nets surely missed Joe Johnson, their second-leading scorer, who rested a sore left heel for the second straight game. The starting job fell to C. J. Watson, who scored a quiet 11 points. MarShon Brooks got an extended run off the bench, but did little with it, scoring 8 points in 32 minutes.

Gerald Wallace missed all six of his shots, finishing with zero points for the second time this season. Lopez went 3 for 10 from the field and was benched for the fourth quarter, for the third time in four games, all since making his All-Star Game debut. He finished with 9 points.

Coach P. J. Carlesimo offered the same rationale for the Lopez benching as he has before — that Blatche was playing too well to pull from the game. Indeed, Blatche sparked the Nets early in the fourth, scoring their first 6 points in an 8-0 run. But he did little the rest of the way.

Lopez has taken the benchings in stride, but Carlesimo admitted he was concerned about Lopez’s confidence.

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“Some guys were giving us offense, some guys were giving us defense,” he said. “Some guys weren’t giving us a lot of either, and we were just trying to patch a group together.”

Did the Nets miss Johnson’s offense? That seemed clear. The Nets did not crack the 20-point plateau in any of the first three quarters and did not cross the 50-point mark until the final minute of the third (during which they scored 13 points).

Wallace might have explained the loss with the infamous phrase he used last month — “Typical Nets basketball” — but he too left without speaking.

The Nets led by 72-67 in the fourth, their largest lead of the game, after 5 straight points from Mirza Teletovic. Memphis quickly erased it, tying the game at 72-72 on Mike Conley’s jump shot.

Williams took the aggressive route, driving the right side of the lane against Allen and Randolph, but his shot never even grazed the rim as he toppled to the court.

“I thought I got fouled up top and down low,” he said.

While Williams was still getting up, Teletovic fouled Allen, who made two free throws to give Memphis (37-18) the lead for good, 74-72. The Nets’ last chance to tie the game was snuffed when Williams bounced an errant pass, which Tayshaun Prince intercepted, securing the Grizzlies’ seventh straight victory. Conley hit two free throws to finish the scoring.

“It’s frustrating,” Williams said. “But I can’t really control no-calls or calls or anything like that. I can control that I turned the ball over the next play, which is even more frustrating.”

REBOUNDS

The Nets are taking a cautious approach to Joe Johnson’s sore heel, which of course will be far more critical to their efforts in two months than it is now. They will need his scoring bursts and his clutch shooting in the playoffs. So no one is rushing him back. P. J. Carlesimo said that Johnson was improving, but his status for Tuesday’s game in New Orleans remained uncertain.

A version of this article appears in print on February 25, 2013, on Page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: Nets Point to a Noncall, but Have Themselves to Blame in a Loss. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe